Elder abuse is a serious concern in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Accurate assessment and quick action are critical to ensure your loved one’s safety and well-being. The following questions are adapted from tools used by doctors to identify potential cases of elder abuse. Use these elder abuse questions to check on the well-being of your loved one and take action if needed.
1. Questions to Address General Well-Being
Nursing homes are supposed to keep older adults who need assistance healthy and secure. An essential part of this responsibility is ensuring that basic needs are consistently met.
These elder abuse screening questions help assess overall well-being:
- Do you feel safe in your current living situation?
- Has anyone kept you from getting food, medicine, or socializing?
- How do you feel about the care you are receiving?
Making sure your loved one feels safe and well-cared for is the first step in preventing nursing home neglect or abuse. Regularly checking on these aspects can help identify potential issues early on.
2. Questions to Address Physical Health
It’s essential to keep an eye on your loved one’s physical health to spot any signs of neglect or abuse. In nursing homes, physical elder abuse can show up as unexplained injuries like bruises or cuts.
Asking the right questions helps ensure your loved one is being kept physically safe.
These are questions to ask nursing home residents about physical well-being:
- Are you ever afraid because of how someone treats you or touches you?
- Do you feel safe when being helped with bathing or dressing?
- Has anyone been rough with you, like grabbing or pushing you?
It’s also important to understand that physical injuries around the genitals may stem from sexual elder abuse. Even if a loved one has not been physically injured, unwanted touching can be considered sexual assault.
If you’re concerned about your loved one’s safety, the Nursing Home Abuse Center may be able to help.
Call a member of our team right now at (855) 264-6310 or Click to Live Chat.
3. Questions to Address Emotional Health
While emotional elder abuse may not leave any physical marks, it can be very damaging to a nursing home resident’s overall well-being.
Verbal harassment can make residents feel scared, agitated, or withdrawn. It may also lead to mental health problems like anxiety or depression. Feelings of loneliness, fear, or humiliation can all be signs of emotional abuse.
These questions can help you understand your loved one’s emotional state:
- Are you socializing here? Are there times when you feel lonely?
- Has anyone spoken to you in a way that made you feel upset or disrespected?
- Is there anyone here who makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy?
Sometimes, an abuser may use threats to prevent a resident from speaking to loved ones, nursing home staff, or law enforcement officials. This type of intimidation can make it harder for loved ones to receive the help they need.
Addressing emotional health issues promptly is key to preventing abuse and improving your loved one’s quality of life.
4. Questions to Address Financial Security
If someone has forced an older adult to give them money or to sign papers like checks or legal documents, it can mean financial elder abuse is happening.
Financial exploitation of older adults can drain life savings, leaving people unable to cover basic living expenses. It can also cause depression, distrust, and feelings of worthlessness, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).
Financial elder abuse screening questions to ask your loved one include:
- Has anyone tried to make you sign papers or use money against your will?
- Have you noticed any unexpected changes in your bank accounts recently?
- Is anyone helping with your finances? Are you comfortable with their help?
Sadly, some cases of financial abuse may not come to light until months or years after the fact, as they can be hard to detect. Some seniors with cognitive impairment, like Alzheimer’s and other dementias, may not be able to properly track their finances — leaving them targets for financial abuse.
For instance, a former attorney stole nearly $1 million from a nursing home resident with dementia over a seven-year period before his arrest.
5 Nursing Home Risk Assessment Questions to Ask Yourself
Sometimes, your loved one may not answer elder abuse assessment questions due to mental impairment or out of fear that their abuser will find out and retaliate.
In these cases, there are nursing home questions you can ask yourself if you think your loved one is experiencing any type of elder abuse.
Here are 5 nursing home risk assessment questions to ask yourself:
- Does your loved one seem withdrawn or in a bad mood?
- Are they not making eye contact with you or others?
- Have you noticed unexplained cuts, bruises, or other injuries?
- Do they suffer from poor hygiene, or are they not adequately clothed?
- Have they been overmedicated, missed doses, or had other medication errors?
If you identify any of these issues, there are several steps you can take to keep your loved one safe. Learn what you can do below.
Elder Abuse Assessment Questions: Next Steps
If you believe that your loved one is facing elder abuse, the first step is to remove them from the harmful environment if possible. For example, you can take them out of a nursing home if you think a staff member or another resident is harming them.
From there, you should take them to a hospital for a medical examination and treatment if necessary.
It is also important to report nursing home abuse or elder abuse to the police or local organizations like Adult Protective Services (APS). They can investigate the issue, prevent others from suffering similar harm, and bring those accountable to justice.
You may also be able to take legal action on your loved one’s behalf. With the help of skilled nursing home lawyers, many families have received compensation for medical treatments, funeral costs, and other expenses.
The Nursing Home Abuse Center works with experienced attorneys across the country. If you think your loved one is facing elder abuse in a nursing home, don’t wait to act.
Call us right now at (855) 264-6310 to speak with one of our trained patient advocates.
